A Matter of Time
by notjaneausten
Summary: During the final battle a miscast spell sends one of the Golden Trio hurtling back into the past with no way of return. The Marauders work with a slightly confused Dumbledore and a student from the future to figure out a way to prevent Voldemort's rise to power and hopefully prevent the deaths that have been foretold.
1. Prologue - Now

DISCLAIMER : The world of Harry Potter and associated characters belong to JK Rowling, no copyright infringement intended.

High above the twisting stone staircases of the main entrance hall to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a slender witch in plain black teaching robes leant against one of the wide pillars, biting her lip nervously as she waited for her first glimpse of that years' tender crop of first years. The thirty young eleven year olds walked through the entrance doors under the guidance of the Deputy Headmistress and Transfiguration Professor, Minerva McGonagall.

'Settle down, please,' McGonagall raised her voice in order to be heard over the excited chatter filling the hall; at the sound of her voice, the first years grew quiet. 'Welcome to Hogwarts. Now, in a few moments you will pass through these doors and join your classmates, but before you take your seats, you must be sorted into your houses. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Now while you're here, your house will be like your family. Your triumphs will earn you points. Any rule breaking, and you will lose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup.'

The witch at the top of the stairs listened from the shadows as McGonagall continued her welcoming speech, which had never varied since the first time the witch had heard it for herself as a first year so long ago.

'Have I missed anything?' The soft murmur from behind and the familiar feel of a slender arm pulling her back against a firm chest had the witch's lips twitching with barely suppressed amusement.

'What happened to you not wanting to be bored out of your mind? I seem to recall someone wanting to watch from their lofty position at the Professor's table…' The witch giggled slightly as the wizard tickled her lightly along the ribs and growled playfully against the side of her neck.

'Wench…'

'Minerva's just about to discover a toad trying to make his way under her robes.'

'I didn't mean Minerva,' The wizard hugged the witch closer to his lean chest and together they watched the first years being corralled into order by a few well-placed words uttered in a soft Scottish burr.

'She's over by the statue.' The witch murmured quietly and both of their eyes glanced down at where a slim young witch was listening intently to McGonagall's speech despite having spent most of her childhood within the hallowed halls of the castle. The witch felt the tension suddenly rising in the wizard's frame and saw that the girl they were both watching had already caught the eye of many a young wizard in the hallway below. 'Calm down, darling…she's already got Nick and Peeves joining forces to hex anyone that so much as looks at her the wrong way.'

'Okay, now I'm really worried….those two goats have never agreed on anything since they died; now you're telling me that Juliet has them both working together?' The wizard relaxed a little, safe in the knowledge that his little girl would have two of Hogwarts most famed pranksters protecting her from unwanted advances. He pulled his wife back into the cradle of his arms, her back against his firm sculpted chest. 'Have you seem them yet?' He didn't have to say any names, his wife knowing exactly to whom he was referring.

'Mmm…' His wife murmured gesturing down with her hand. 'Third row, near the portrait of The Weeping Witch.' The wizard followed his wife's finger and saw the messy black hair that adorned the head of one of their dearest friend's young son.

'Ah, I see Weasley's already attached himself firmly to his side.'

'They'll be good for each other.' His wife replied quietly, her eyes tracking the movements below; darting from their daughter to the two boys jostling each other playfully. His finger slowly reached up to capture a stray teardrop that she hadn't even realised had fallen from her sad eyes.

'Sweetheart…I should have realised how hard this must be for you, seeing them like that again after all of this time.' The wizard clasped his wife's hand and raised it to his lips, giving her a look that promised he do all that he could to make things easier for her. The witch accepted his comfort and snuggled into his embrace, her mind drifting back to the tangled past and everything that had brought them both to that point.


	2. Then - The Tempus Incident

**AN: So, how did you like the prologue? I deliberately didn't give names to the husband and wife couple as I wanted to see who would be able to guess their identities; all will be revealed in the fullness of time… Another short chapter just to set the mood; a little teaser from the last book and then AU and non canon for the rest of the tale.  
**

_Professor McGonagall moved faster than Harry could have believed: her wand slashed through the air and for a split second Harry thought that Snape must crumple, unconscious, but the swiftness of his charm shield was such that McGonagall was thrown off balance. She brandished her wand at a torch on the wall and it flew of its bracket: Harry, about to curse Snape, was forced to pull Luna out of the way of the descending flames, which became a ring of fire the filled the corridor and flew like a lasso at Snape –_

_Then it was no longer fire, but a great, black serpent that McGonagall blasted to smoke, which reformed and solidified in seconds to become a swarm of pursuing daggers: Snape avoided them only by forcing a suit of armour in front of him, and with echoing clangs the daggers sank, one after the other, into its breast-_

'Minerva!' cried a squeaky voice, and looking behind him, still shielding Luna from flying spells, Harry saw Professors Flitwick and Sprout sprinting up the corridor towards them in their nightclothes, with the enormous Professor Slughorn being shepherded along the corridor by an out of breath Hermione.

'No!' squealed Flitwick, raising his wand. 'You'll do no more murder at Hogwarts!' Flitwick's spell was aimed at the suit of armour behind which Snape was hiding but instead of hitting the errant Headmaster, the spell was immediately rebounded and the corridor was filled with a dazzling white light that temporarily blinded them all. 'That's got rid of him for a while.' Flitwick bounced on his feet as soon as the corridor cleared and he saw that Snape was no longer hiding behind the armour.

'Don't be a fool Filius, do you really think that pesky charm would be enough to stop a Death Eater?' Minerva pointed her wand at the shattered window at the end of the corridor. 'He simply used it as an opportunity to conceal his escape.'

'You mean he's dead?'

'Unlike our dear Dumbledore, Snape was still carrying his wand when he jumped…and he seems to have learnt a few tricks from his master.' McGonagall said bitterly as the small group watched a huge bat-like shape flying through the darkness towards the perimeter wall. She glanced down at the disappointed look on Flitwick's face. 'What were you hoping would happen, Filius?'

'It should have been powerful enough to blast Snape out of existence, or at least send him somewhere we wouldn't have to worry about him for oh, about twenty years or so…'

'A portable time turner charm? Oh Filius you know those charms haven't been sanctioned for wizarding use since those unfortunate Mayans decided to try them,'

'Well it didn't work anyway, so there's nothing to worry about.' Filius grumbled under his breath as he stashed his wand in his pyjama sleeve.

'Harry,' Luna tugged on Harry's arm and drew him away from the window: her lightly accented tones holding a note of worry. 'Where's Hermione?'

'What do you mean, she's right over…' Harry started to point over to where Hermione had been standing directly next to Slughorn and everyone turned around as his words trailed off. 'I mean, she was right there.'

'Filius! You reverse the spell this instant!' Minerva screeched, her soft Scottish burr completely disappearing as she rounded on the poor charms professor who was quivering in his slippers as he faced the wrath of the very angry witch.

'I can't Minerva, once the spell is cast there is no reversal…'

'Professor, no…there has to be some way.' Harry cried out, his youthful face seeming to age five years in the last few seconds, and Slughorn pressed his hand to Harry's shoulder.

'Harry, my boy…I'm sure if there were a way to bring Miss Granger back Filius and I will find it.' Harry suddenly gasped, his hands flying to his forehead. He could see images flying through his mind and smelt the tang of seawater in his nostrils.

'He's coming, we've got to barricade the school.'

McGonagall snapped to attention and straightened her gown, forcing herself to speak. 'As much as it pains me to say this, especially to you Potter: but we have to put Miss Granger's disappearance to the side for now. From what I can recall of the Tempus charm, the subject is merely moved through time and not location; for now Miss Granger is somewhere in the school, but just not in this time. I suggest we establish basic protection around the place, then gather our students and meet in the Great Hall. Most must be evacuated, though if any of those who are over-age wish to stay and fight, I think they ought to be given the chance.' McGonagall looked at her fellow teachers and once they gave their nods of agreement, she turned her attention back to Harry. 'Potter, I believe you and Miss Lovegood should start your search somewhere near the Ravenclaw common room; we'll try and give you as much time as we can. Good luck to you both.' Harry reluctantly agreed, knowing that there was nothing they could do about trying to find Hermione with the threat of Voldemort looming over their heads. He grabbed Luna's hand and together they hurried off toward the Ravenclaw tower located on the west side of the castle. McGonagall watched them run off before pulling out her wand and directing it at the large stone statues and suits of armour lining the hallways.

'_Piertotum Locomotor_! Hogwarts is threatened!' McGonagall shouted, flicking her wand to the main staircase. 'Man the boundaries, do your duty – protect our school!' Crumbling pieces of stone and dust fell to the floor as the statues creaked to life, each one lining up before marching off to form a protective guard around the courtyard and main gate. 'Pomona, Horace – you'd better see to your Houses, get the little ones away; find Longbottom and arrange for them to take them through the Hogsmeade tunnel; Filius and I will take care of the others. I have no doubt that Voldemort will be making a personal appearance very shortly now that Snape has revealed his true nature.' McGonagall cast her gaze out of the shattered window once more, before urging her fellow professors to head down to the Great Hall to start closing down Hogwarts for what may be the final time.

**AN: Any recognisable parts are rightfully credited to JK Rowling; Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows**


	3. Meeting Lily Evans

Hermione drifted in a heavy state between sleep and awake before the sound of muffled voices roused her into full consciousness.

'How can I trust you again after those hateful things you said to me last year? You didn't even have the balls to apologise and now you want me to partner you in Potions?' A young woman's voice that held just a note of bitterness was the first thing Hermione made sense of.

'What do you think I've been trying to do all year?' A voice smooth as a bar of Honeydukes finest chocolate echoed down the deserted second floor corridor, and there was something so familiar about it but for the life of her, Hermione couldn't quite grasp what it was. 'Every time I get near you, one of your familiar's starts hissing at me.'

'They're my friends Sev; a novel concept for you I know, but you should try it sometime.' The lighter tones of the second person indicated that it was a male and female coming closer and Hermione cracked open one heavy eyelid to see that she was lying in the middle of the second floor hallway where just a few seconds ago she had been surrounded by flying masonry and wand sparks.

'I have friends, I'm not a complete hermit.'

'I don't mean the gits that hang around the Slytherin common room; real friends Sev…like we used to be.'

'Can't we be friends again?' The boy urged, sounding a little bit desperate to Hermione's ears. 'I've missed our chats down by the lake.'

'Huh…that's where those twats from my House hang out these days; you won't catch me down there again in a hurry, not with that creep sniffing around my knickers.'

'He's still giving you trouble? I could always hex him on the quiet…turn him into the worm that he is as soon as he propositions you again.' The girl laughed lightly at the offer and laid her hand on the boy's arm.

'I've seen your charm work, Sev…and I don't think James would survive the spell. You always were a bit loose with your wand work; stick to potions, you're a veritable Merlin when it comes to mixing up a brew or two.'

'I really am sorry, Lil; I never meant to hurt you like that. I was just so angry and the words just spilled out.' The boy sounded like he was about to cry and Hermione saw the girl close her eyes for a second before turning to face the pale faced boy.

'You did hurt me incredibly that day, I never thought that you were capable of such venom. I'll forgive you this time, Severus but if you ever say anything like that to me again…' The girl leant closer and dropped her fingers to her wand, and the boy's eyes opened wide at her unspoken implication.

'I swear…'

'Good; now let's get down to the Great Hall before the twats eat all of the desserts.' Lily threaded her arm through her companion's elbow and flicked her long auburn hair over her shoulder. 'Now, tell me more about this partnering idea that you've had for potions class…'

'Well…' Severus opened his mouth to speak and then something caught his attention at the end of the hallway. 'What's that?'

'Where?' Lily followed his gaze and spotted Hermione struggling to sit up against the far wall. 'She looks poorly…help me prop her up, Sev.' Lily ordered as she made her way over to crouch down at the other girls' feet. 'Easy now, do you know what happened to you?'

Hermione felt the sting of acid at the back of her throat and swallowed hard to prevent the bile from rising. She recognised the other girl as soon as she grew close enough to make out; she'd seen Harry look at her photograph a thousand times over the last few years but how was it even possible? She closed her eyes as she tried to picture the last thing that she remembered before waking up; there had been a fight with Snape in the corridor and then Flitwick had cast his charm…Of course, that was the only possible explanation; something had gone wrong in the execution and she must have been caught by the rebound.

'I'm sorry but I don't know your name; are you one of the transfer students that the Headmaster was speaking about? I hadn't realised any of you had arrived yet.' The girl, Lily Potter or more rightly Lily Evans, knelt closer to Hermione with the lean frame of her as yet unidentified friend hovering at her side.

'Um…Not a transfer student as such,' Hermione struggled to think clearly through the pounding headache threatening to split her skull and wondered what would sound like a plausible explanation. 'I was home educated until my parents passed away.' _Until I Obliviated them and sent them off to live in Australia more like.' _Hermione thought to herself. 'My guardian thought it was best that I prepared for my exams at a proper school.'

'I'm sorry for your loss.' Lily murmured softly, her hand reaching out to press against Hermione's. 'Do you know what happened up here? Perhaps a trip or a fall?'

'I don't know, perhaps I hit my head as I tripped over a snag in the carpet?' Hermione struggled to rise and Lily made a gesture with her hand and sent her friend a narrow eyed look. He sent a look back that usually had the first years running away in fear, but Lily just grinned as pointed at Hermione again and he bent down to wrap one lean hand around her elbow to assist her to her feet. 'Thank you.' Hermione murmured and the boy inclined his head as he took a step backwards until he was standing just at Lily's side. Hermione gasped quietly as she recognised the almost haughty gesture, the boy with Lily was none other than Severus Snape!

'Let's get you down to Madam Pomfrey,' Lily wrapped her arm securely across Hermione's back and gently steered her down the hallway to the hospital wing. 'My name's Lily…Lily Evans.'

'Hermione Granger.' Hermione replied quietly, sneaking a look at the quiet boy following them along the corridor. Lily saw Hermione's eyes flick behind before turning ahead and hid a grin to herself; it was about time that Sev had someone looking at him with a bit of interest.

'Don't mind him; that's just Sev, he's a Slytherin and they're all a bunch of snakes.' Lily lowered her voice to murmur into Hermione's ear but Sev's ears caught her low tones and he snorted indignantly.

'You know I can still hear you, don't you Lily?'

'You were supposed to.' Lily called back, their friendship back on an even keel after spending much of the last year sniping and ignoring each other. 'Do you know what house you've been put in? I'm in Gryffindor.'

'I think the Headmaster said something about Gryffindor as well, I'm not really too sure. He said that my trunks were being sent up to the tower with the Fat Lady.'

'That'll be us then,' Lily confirmed with a grin, her eyes lighting up with shared enthusiasm. Hermione felt a brief pang when she saw the light in Lily's eyes – eyes that she shared with Harry, Harry – her best friend that she would probably never be able to see in the flesh again. 'Here we are, would you like me to come in with you?' Lily paused outside the hospital wing and looked over at Hermione.

'Thanks, but I'll be fine from here.' Hermione refused with a small smile and reached up a hand to tug at the small bell hanging by the double doors. Lily looked a little doubtful at leaving Hermione alone, but turned around to leave with Sev, glancing back over her shoulder before they reached the staircase.

'I'll pop back after dinner; if you're still here I'll come and sit with you for a little while, if not I'll see you in the tower later.'

Hermione nodded as she watched the pair slip off down the staircase and then turned around as the schools nursing matron opened up a small side door and stepped out into the corridor.

'And who do we have here?'

'Hermione Granger, I'm feeling a little…' Hermione started to tell Madam Pomfrey her symptoms but the matron merely held up her finger to halt her words as she started her diagnostic spell, moving her wand a few centimetres away from Hermione's body as she completed her scan.

'You're out of alignment dear…have you been messing around with one of Minerva's time turners?'

'A few years ago…' Hermione confirmed but Madam Pomfrey frowned a little as she waved her wand again and tried to decipher the results of the scan.

'No, that's not it. How old are you child?'

'Seventeen; my birthday is not until in September.'

'I'd say you could add another year or two to that if you had prolonged use to a time turner.' Madam Pomfrey replied quietly, still frowning over the slightly lavender haze that glowed from her wand tip. 'You should be pink.'

'I'm sorry?' Hermione was struggling to keep up with the strange turn of conversation, her stomach churning frantically and her headache worsening by the second.

'Oh, I'm so sorry!' Madam Pomfrey glanced over and saw that Hermione was in danger of collapsing where she stood. She immediately wrapped an arm around Hermione's back and steered her into the ward, settling her down on a bed in a secluded alcove. A brief flick of her wand had a small tray of potions appearing at the bedside and Madame Pomfrey started pulling out the stoppers.

'A little Pepper-Up and Cure-All and that's two of your symptoms taken care of. Drink it all down in one go, dearest…that's it.' Hermione obediently swallowed the potions and screwed up her nose at the nasty aftertaste.

'What did you mean earlier, when you said 'you should be pink'?' Hermione murmured from the bed, feeling a little drowsy from the combined potions. Madam Pomfrey slipped off Hermione's shoes and gestured for her to slip under the covers, smoothing them in place with a gentle pat.

'After using a time turner your cells should give off a pink glow; yours are lavender, which either means that you are a Hinkypunk…or you've been hit with a Tempus charm.'

'The second one.' Hermione murmured, as she felt herself being pulled into a healing sleep. 'I need to speak with Dumbledore.'

'Oh don't worry dear, the Headmaster will be sent for.' The matron confirmed with a determined look in her eye, no one messed with the students under Poppy Pomfrey's care and got away with it. Her face softened as she gently stroked the hair away from Hermione's brow. 'You just take a nap and it will all be sorted when you're feeling better.'

'Need to warn him…' Hermione mumbled trying to fight off the sleep charm that the matron had cast over the bed. 'Warn him before it's too late…'


	4. In the Sixth at Gryffindor Tower - again

'Dumbledore's office,' Poppy called worriedly as she flung a pinch of floo powder into the fireplace. The Headmaster's face appeared in the green flames and he could see the worry on the kindly matron's face. 'You should come down here, it appears that we have a young lady that has been unlucky enough to get caught up in a Tempus charm.'

'Poppy, that is extremely rare; are you quite sure?'

'Do you doubt my skills as a healer, Headmaster?' Dumbledore knew that he'd ruffled the Matron's feathers when she addressed him formally rather than using his first name and he immediately apologised.

'Forgive me, Poppy; I know you learnt from Miss Nightingale herself, it's just that I don't think I've ever seen such a thing in all of my years at Hogwarts. How is the young lady?'

'A little nauseous which is the norm for these things; she seems to exactly what happened, and her last words to me before falling asleep were that she had to warn you.'

'Warn me?' Dumbledore's placid features turned into a frown as he glanced behind him at the way the portraits lining the walls of his private office starting murmuring amongst themselves. 'Stand back Poppy, I'm coming through.' Madam Pomfrey took a few steps away from the fireplace as the green flames shot up into chimney before dying away, revealing the Headmaster standing in the fireplace brushing down his silvery satin robes.

'She's resting quietly at the moment, I'd like her to stay that way for at least another hour.' Madam Pomfrey warned Dumbledore quietly as they made their way back out into the hospital ward, which was empty apart from the slender young witch lying quietly sleeping. Dumbledore waved the matron's objections aside and started moving his wand in the air above the girl's prone figure. He mumbled an incantation under his breath and then sat heavily down on the adjacent bed.

'Well?' The matron in charge raised her eyebrow and Dumbledore sighed heavily as he looked at his wand.

'Irreversible, Poppy. Whoever cast the spell left no room for manoeuvre, whatever they were trying to achieve; it was not to be changed.'

'The Dark Lord is about to rise.' Came a hoarse murmur from the bed, and Madam Pomfrey immediately crossed over to check on her patient, scolding her lightly for fighting the healing sleep.

'I didn't quite catch that, would you mind repeating it, Miss….?'

'Granger, Hermione Granger.' Hermione struggled to sit up in the bed, and Madam Pomfrey clucked under her tongue as she plumped the pillows up behind Hermione and helped her to get comfortable. Hermione murmured her thanks and the matron hovered by the bedside as she glanced anxiously between the Headmaster and her patient. 'It's alright, Madam Pomfrey; I should have told you that the sleeping charms have little effect on me…I think I've spent too many years with one eye open for them to actually be of any use.'

'I'll get you another revitalising potion instead, dear.' Madam Pomfrey smoothed over the covers again and summoned another bottle of foul tasting liquid. 'You still look a bit peaky to me.'

'I'm fine, really.' Hermione stated and relented when she saw the disappointed look in the matron's eye. 'Perhaps a little on the weak side but nothing too bad.'

'Another Pepper-Up instead then.'

'Miss Granger, you were saying?' Dumbledore interrupted Madam Pomfrey's fussing over her patient and Hermione glanced down at her hands for a second before looking the Headmaster directly in the eye.

'There's a dark wizard that's about to rise to power; we call him the Dark Lord as saying his name aloud tends to lead to all sorts of trouble.'

'I believe I know exactly to whom you are referring.' Dumbledore confirmed with a grave look, 'He's been trying to lead many a fine wizard done the dark path since the late 1940's…this is a troubling situation indeed.'

'He's trying to recruit more Death Eaters to his side and plans to attack…' Hermione frowned a little as she realised that she didn't know the exact year that she'd been sent back to. She knew that it had to be sometime in the late seventies as Lily and the others had left Hogwarts in 1978. 'What year is this exactly?'

'April, 1977; it's currently the first week of the Easter Holidays, there's only a skeleton staff at the school and around twenty students.'

'Really? I felt sure Lily looked older than sixteen…'

'Lily Evans? You are familiar with her in your time?' Dumbledore leant forward from his seat on the narrow hospital bed, and Hermione's eye twitched slightly before she settled for a brief nod.

'I know of her.' She replied quietly, 'I've never met her in person before today. In a little over three years' time, the Dark Lord is going to come to power again and the wizarding world will suffer heavy losses indeed.'

'How many?' Dumbledore's eyes sharpened and he was instantly focused on the slender witch in the hospital bed. Hermione glanced down at her fingers and grew suddenly still, if she were to tell Dumbledore everything would it be enough to save them all, or would it make matters worse? 'Miss Granger, I believe that the fates have intervened for a purposed and sent you back to this time in order for you to try and avert a terrible tragedy. Please, share with us what you know.'

'You lose almost half of the Order over the space of two years.' Hermione murmured quietly. 'The Death Eaters swell in numbers and when the Dark Lord returns after everyone thinks he has been vanquished for good, more deaths follow; more than you could ever imagine. Hogwarts is attacked, and the Death Eaters show no mercy, killing students and teachers alike.'

'Hogwarts?' Madam Pomfrey repeated in a shaky voice. 'He's going to attack Hogwarts?'

'May second 1997, he was just about to storm the castle when I was sent back here by a charm that rebounded off a suit of armour…poor Professor Flitwick, he's bound to blame himself.' Hermione nodded sadly and glanced over at the pale face of the school matron.

'Well then, I think that you'd better tell me everything you know about the two attacks so that we can prevent such a tragedy from happening.' Dumbledore stated in a firm voice, and then he leant over to grasp Hermione's hand. 'And you can start with telling me how a seventeen year old came to find out about the Order of the Phoenix.'

'You told me,' Hermione said simply and then gave a wry chuckle as she shook her head. 'Or rather, the older you told me. I've been involved with the Order for the last two years; along with several others in my year. I help with research and potion making; and most of us live in the same safe house during the school holidays.'

'You were inducted into the Order at fifteen?' Madam Pomfrey was outraged and turned to scold Dumbledore. 'Albus, what were you thinking? They're just children!'

'You sound just like my friend's Mum; that's what she kept saying when we started listening outside the door of the meeting rooms.' Hermione said with another laugh, and then sobered up quickly when she realised that she would never hear Molly Weasley's scolding tones or feel the warmth of her arms comforting her ever again. 'The Headmaster didn't have much choice in the end, Madam Pomfrey; we became targets of the attacks and it was safer for us to know what was going on rather than be kept in the dark.'

'I see…Perhaps you would be good enough to write down what you know and give me a few days to digest the information.' Dumbledore looked over at Hermione, who confirmed with a nod. A grunt of disapproval from Poppy had him rising to his feet and patting Hermione's leg in a tender gesture. 'After you have fully recovered of course. I suggest that you remain under Poppy's tender care for the rest of the day and we'll come up with a suitable explanation for you appearance tomorrow. Luckily there aren't more than half a dozen students in the castle at the moment, so hopefully we can arrange for suitable clothes and things to be taken up to one of the houses without too much disturbance.'

'I told Lily that I was an orphan and that I had been home schooled until now.' Hermione revealed and Dumbledore nodded. 'I also advised her that I had been sorted into Gryffindor with her.'

'That was your original House?' Poppy questioned, hovering around the foot of the bed wanting to make sure that her patient received plenty of rest.

'Yes, it was the first thing that popped into my head; I'm sorry if it causes you problems Headmaster, I know that room assignments are already sorted.' Hermione apologised profusely and Dumbledore gave her another pat on the ankle as he chuckled warmly.

'Not to worry my dear, as it so happens one of the young ladies from that particular House has transferred over to Beaubaxton's academy near Paris and I haven't yet arranged for anyone else to fill her chamber. It's one of the single rooms at the very top of the tower, will that suit?'

'Oh, we don't have those in my time; I would have loved a room on my own…my roommates were lovely girls but it could get a little wild when I was trying to study sometimes.' Hermione's face lit up at the thought of having a room of her own; she was even looking forward to repeating her classes from the sixth year without the almost constant interruptions from Ron wanting to copy her homework.

'Good…I'll have a trunk sent up there tomorrow morning, get some rest this evening and we'll talk more tomorrow.' Dumbledore tilted his head toward the door and Poppy murmured that she would be back to administer another dose of the Pepper-Up potion to Hermione, before following the Headmaster back into her small office.

'You wished to speak with me alone, Albus?'

'Poppy, you have a sister or two don't you?' Dumbledore asked as he paced the confines of the small room, his silvery robes swishing against his legs as he walked.

'No…a few distant cousins but none that I'm in regular contact with.' Poppy frowned a little at the sudden change of conversation and then she realised what Albus had in mind. 'Ah…I see. You'd like me to claim as a member of my family line in order to explain her sudden appearance at Hogwarts; I don't think that will be too difficult…There was actually a cousin of mine that married a Hebidiah Grange a few generations back, we could always cite poor record keeping should anyone question the surname.'

'Excellent…perhaps a letter requesting Miss Granger's attendance from the Easter term for her school records?' Dumbledore raised his eyebrow enquiringly and Poppy flicked her wand over to her desk and they watched as a fine tipped quill hovered over the parchment paper lying on the blotting pad. 'Lovely penmanship, as always Poppy.' Dumbledore plucked the parchment off the desk and skimmed through the content. 'I'll have Kingsley look for the rest of Miss Granger's 'mislaid' documents in the morning.' Dumbledore waved his hand gracefully over the parchment and it vanished from sight, and Poppy knew that it would be joined by a full set of identification documents come lunchtime the next day.


	5. A Breakfast To Remember

Hermione opened her eyes slowly the next morning and panic had her sitting up in bed looking around the bare walls and curtained area before her mind caught up and she slumped back down against the pillows.

Poppy must have been lingering outside the curtains because she whipped them back a few seconds later and pulled out her wand to perform the examination again. 'Ah, you're beginning to settle down a bit now; a few more days and you should be almost completely synched again.' She slid the wand back into the pocket of her apron and walked around the bed to fuss with the covers. 'If your headache and nausea have gone, then I see no reason why you shouldn't join the others for breakfast this morning. You can use my floo to get up to your quarters, but I still want to see you back here this evening for another check up!'

'Thank you, Madam Pomfrey.' Hermione nodded and Poppy pressed a hand against Hermione's slim fingers.

'Call me Aunt Poppy, dear…the two of us are supposed to be family after all. Now, you head up to your room and change; the password to get back in from the other side is 'Fortuna Major'; get yourself a good breakfast and pop back and see me around four o'clock this afternoon. We'll have some tea and I'll fill you in on everything you need to know about the Pomfrey family.'

Hermione swung her legs out of bed and rose to her feet, leaning over and surprising Poppy with a kiss to the cheek. 'Thank you, Aunt Poppy; I appreciate your willingness to do this for me.' Poppy felt a sudden warming to her heart and clasped the young witch's hand gently as she steered her toward the floo in her small office.

'Think nothing of it.' Poppy held out the container of floo powder and Hermione took a small pinch. 'Your room has connected to this one, the one in the Headmaster's office and Professor McGonagall's quarters…just say 'Gryffindor Tower' and it will take you straight there.' Hermione nodded and flung the powder into the large fireplace and stepped inside.

'Gryffindor Tower,' Hermione enunciated clearly and with a whoosh of green flames she was gone.

Half an hour later after changing into the clothes thoughtfully provided by the Headmaster, Hermione made her way down the staircase and entered the Gryffindor common room; glancing around at the familiar tapestries on the walls and the comfortable furniture in their warm red and gold colour schemes. A rustling of papers from the large armchair by the fireplace had Hermione glancing over and for a second she thought it was Ginny sitting curled up in the chair. When the red hair fell back and she saw brilliant green eyes instead of Ginny's familiar brown, Hermione was suddenly reminded that she was no longer in her own timeline but stuck nearly twenty years in the past.

'Good morning, did you have a good rest?' Lily's warm greeting brought an answering smile to Hermione's face as she tentatively stepped off the last stair and made her way over to perch on the edge of the Lily's matching armchair.

'Best night's sleep I've had in ages.' Hermione confirmed, after spending most of the last year on the run with Harry searching for horcruxes, a night in a real bed was near luxury.

'Good, you look better than you did when Sev and I dropped you off at the infirmary last night.' Lily closed her Potions book and it into the large cloth bag at her feet. 'It's just at the moment as the girls don't get back for another few days. There's Lucy Duggley, Mathilda Bettel and Amelia Fontaine; the boys' dormitory is to the left and in our year is Sirius Black, James Potter, Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin. Remus is a sweetie but try to avoid getting tangled with Sirius; he's got a bit of a reputation among the ladies…loves to whisk you off to Hogsmeade one weekend and then leave you disappointed for the next.'

'Is that the voice of experience talking?' Hermione asked curiously and Lily snorted loudly as she rose up from the armchair.

'I wouldn't touch that prat for all the Amortentia in China; I know where that wand's been.' Both girls chuckled as Lily jerked her head toward the passageway. 'Feel up to breakfast, I bet you five knuts that Sirius is all over you like a case of Dragon Pox as soon you sit down.'

'You're on.' Hermione glanced down at her simple outfit of jeans and a pink long sleeved shirt. 'Hmm, hardly a femme fatale outfit.'

'You're female and you have breasts…Believe me, he'll be interested.' Lily remarked drolly as she glanced over at Hermione who was pulling her wand out of her pocket and tapping it thoughtfully against her lips.

'What about this instead?' Hermione waved her wand over her top, using a wordless transformation to charm her t-shirt into a looser top with a scooped neckline. 'Too much?' Hermione glanced at Lily who simply stood there with her mouth gaping in astonishment. 'What about this one?' The next top was a red and white checked blouse that tied at her waist, revealing a few centimetres of bare flesh above the waistband of her jeans; at the same time Hermione transfigured the legs of the trousers from the wide bell bottoms to her usual slightly flared boot cut design.

'You have to show me how to do that with my jeans…' Lily whispered almost reverently. 'They look amazing; how did you do that? I've only ever seen a couple of sixth years perform a wordless chant, and nothing advanced as a transfiguration.'

'I did quite well in my OWLs so my tutor let me go on to study a few advanced techniques.' Hermione replied with a small smile, not wanting to admit that she had achieved an unprecedented ten OWLs in Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Care of Magical Creatures, Arithmancy, History of Magic, Herbology, Astronomy, Potions and Ancient Runes; all with Outstanding apart from Defence Against the Dark Arts for which she received Exceeds Expectations.

'I thought I was pretty good at charms but you're just in a class of your own.' Lily hooked her arm through Hermione's and the two young witches made their way out of the common room. 'I'd love to see what you can do with a cauldron; please let me sit next to you in class next week.'

'Sure, I don't see why not.' Hermione agreed with a smile and Lily practically squealed with glee.

'Oh, this is going to be so much fun. I'm pretty fair with Potions but I've never been able to get higher than Sev; he's in Slytherin. We grew up together and were quite good friends until last year. He called me a nasty name which made me utterly unable to forgive him. He's quite brilliant really, fabulous at Defence and an utter genius at Potions, just a shame he's been a complete twat personality wise.'

'Sounds like a charming fellow…' Hermione murmured and Lily just wrapped her hand around the other Gryffindor's arm and gave her a slight squeeze.

'I can't wait to see the look on his face! Come on, let's go and win me some knuts!' Lily pushed open the door to the Great Hall where they could see a few students sitting at the various House tables. Lily led Hermione over to the Gryffindor table and they took a seat next to each other, pointedly ignoring the four boys seated at other end.

'Evans, when are you going to make an honest man out of me?' A tall boy with unruly dark hair slid along the bench to press up against Lily's side, flourishing his wand to conjure up a single pink rose. Lily snorted again and shoved the boy lightly on the shoulder.

'Ask me again once you've washed last night's Butterbeer off your breath, Potter. Haven't you ever heard of a toothbrush?' Lily turned her back on the boy and reached out to pour a glass of pumpkin juice from the large jug in the middle of the table.

'You wound me, Evans.' The boy laid the rose on the table and leant around Lily to thrust his hand out in Hermione's direction.

'James Potter, Quidditch seeker and all around good sport at your service.' Hermione glanced up from her plate and nearly caught her breath at how much the son resembled the father as she shook James' proffered hand.

'Hermione Granger, newly instated Gryffindor and definitely not a Quidditch fan.' There were gasps from all along the table at Hermione's statement and she suddenly found herself surrounded from all sides.

'Blasphemy! Evans, wherever did you pick this imposter from?' This came from a boy with a slightly nasally quality to his voice, and Hermione immediately recognised his narrow eyed stare and pudgy frame.

'Shut it, Peter…There is more to life that a bloody golden snitch you know.' Lily reached over to select a few pieces of bacon from the serving platter along with a single slice of toast. Hermione ignored the fried foods in favour of a bowl of porridge, flavouring it with a drizzle of honey.

'I think someone owes me five knuts.' Hermione murmured into Lily's ear as she leant over to pick up the jug of orange juice, pouring a little into her goblet.

'Wait for it; Sirius doesn't talk to anyone until he's had at least two cups of tea in the morning; he probably hasn't even noticed that anyone else is in the room.' Lily replied back just as quietly, buttering her toast and then laying the strips of bacon in between to create a sandwich.

'What's got you all of a twitter this morning, Evans? Has Jimmy boy finally popped your cherry?' Another tall boy with glossy shoulder length hair rose up from his seat at the end of the table and strolled along to see what breakfast delights were on offer at the other end. Carrying his now empty tea cup the boy leant across Lily to snag a piece of bacon from the platter and turned back slowly as he realised that there was one additional body sitting at their table.

'Well now, who do we have here?' The boy tossed his hair back flamboyantly and nudged his way in between Lily and Hermione. 'The name's Sirius and I think I just fell in love with a goddess.'

'Is that the best line you've got?' Hermione turned sideways on the bench and smirked at Sirius; clearly seeing the man he would become in the boy at her side. 'You need to Siriusly work on your pick up lines.' Hermione patted her lips with her napkin and glanced over at Lily. 'I'm heading back up to the tower; I want to go through my timetable for next week and get a head start on my reading.'

'Oh my God…she's another Snivellus!' Peter groaned, and both Sirius and James chuckled; Lily and Remus exchanged a brief look but kept quiet. Hermione rose to her feet and shot the boys a scathing look.

'I see nothing wrong with wanting to be the best that I can; if you don't feel the same way then I don't see why you're even at school in the first place.'

'I couldn't have put it better myself, Miss Granger.' Professor McGonagall's soft Scottish burr held a note of pleasure and the Gryffindor boys glanced up warily at their Head of House. 'Mr Black, Mr Pettigrew…please make your way to the potions classroom after you've finished with your meal; or has it escaped your notice that the two of you have yet to complete the last of your detention hours? You'll be working with Professor Slughorn today, I believe he has some cauldrons that require descaling.' Peter nodded and gulped down the last of his juice, Sirius on the other hand took another leisurely bite out of the bacon strip and merely saluted McGonagall with his raised fingers. She stifled a smile at his impetuous behaviour and turned back to Hermione. 'Miss Granger, I'd like to arrange a chat with you in my office…would eleven o'clock suit?'

'Certainly Professor.' Hermione nodded, and McGonagall smiled briefly before walking back to the staff table and taking a seat.

'I wonder what the old tabby cat wants with you.' Sirius stated as he snagged another slice of bacon and slowly chewed it. 'Perhaps she wants to suss out your flying skills; we could do with a decent keeper on the team, since we lost Sedgewick last year.'

'Not bloody likely,' Hermione muttered under her breath and heard Lily chuckle from the table. 'The only way she'd get me on a broom is if she Imperioused my arse to the stick and made it fly herself.'

'I could make you fly, love.' Sirius drawled softly as he winked over at Hermione. 'I haven't had any complaints so far about my technique.'

'Wait for me, Hermione…I think I've just lost my appetite.' Lily gave Sirius a scowl as she pushed her plate aside and it immediately disappeared from sight. 'Some people really know how to ruin a meal.' The two young witches linked arms as they strode out of the hall, leaving Sirius looking a little bewildered as he glanced at his friends who were all struggling to keep a straight face.

'Was it something I said?' The three other boys erupted into laughter at his question and Sirius just sat there growing even more confused. 'Do you think she liked me?'

'Give it up, Black…that witch had you sussed out before you even sat down.' Remus patted his friend on the shoulder and James echoed his sentiment.

'Yeah…I don't think you'll be showing your wand to that one any time soon; she's got that studious look about her…brrr!' James shivered a little at the thought and rose up to jerk his head over at Remus. 'Fancy a sit down by the lake, Moony? It's a nice day outside and we've got to work off those chocolate frogs with a little flying around later.'

'Yeah, let me just nip upstairs and grab a book; meet you at the fountain in five.'

'Bring me my magazine from my bed will you?' James called out as Remus made his way back to the dormitory, Remus acknowledged the request with a wave of his hand and James left Peter and Sirius heading for their detention with Slughorn.


	6. A lesson in transfiguration

The last remaining days of the Easter holidays flew by as Hermione familiarised herself with life in the 1970's; the magical world was slower moving than it's Muggle counterpart but there were a few items from the future that Hermione longed for…underwear that didn't look like something her grandmother would wear was top of the list. Hermione thanked Merlin that she paid attention in her Advanced Charms classes and was therefore able to transfigure the ugly panties and bra sets that Dumbledore had provided into some very pretty silk sets that felt a hundred times better next to her skin.

It was the Sunday before the start of the new term and Hermione selected a gorgeous white silk underwear set that was edged in soft lace and tiny pink bows. She carefully rolled the underwear into her bath towel and sleepily made her way across the hall to the shared bathroom on the landing, opening the door she collided with someone making their way out.

'Oh sweet Circe…that is the most gorgeous thing I've ever seen!' Hermione stopped rubbing her forehead to glance down at where a petite blonde girl was cooing over Hermione's spilled clothing. 'I'll do your potions homework for a month if you tell me where you got them from.'

'Nice try, Tilly.' Lily called out through the open doorway of the dorm room as she made her way out onto the crowded landing. 'But I think it will be more of a case of Hermione giving us a hand rather than the other way around. Hermione, the girl fondling your underwear is one of our fellow sixth years - Tilly Bettel, she got back last night. Tilly…give Hermione her panties back before she gets completely the wrong idea about you.'

Tilly let out a squeak of embarrassment as she realised that she was almost salivating over Hermione's panties and held them out to the other witch with a stuttered apology. 'Gosh, I…um…sorry.'

'No problem…' Hermione replied with a grin. 'I'll show you how to transform yours if you like.' Tilly squealed again and started to run towards the dorm when Lily coughed slightly and tugged on her arm.

'Steady tiger, I think Hermione would like to get showered and dressed first.' Lily chuckled at her roommate's behaviour and turned to Hermione. 'Don't mind Tilly; she's always been a little over excitable…give her a few days back at the castle and she'll settle down again.' Hermione smiled in response and headed for the bathroom, making sure that she had a tight grip on her coveted underwear.

By the time Hermione had showered and dressed there was the sound of excited chatter and giggles coming from Lily's dorm room and as Hermione made her way back down into the common room, Lily's arm stretched out to drag her into the room and steered her over to one of the four poster beds.

'Girls, this is Hermione. Hermione, these two misfits are the other unfortunate souls that have to put up with Tilly's tendency to giggle in her sleep.' Lily waved her hand over to a tall statuesque blonde lounging on the bed by the window. 'That's Amelia…she's pretty nifty on a broom and is currently the subject of many a Quidditch player's fantasies.'

'And that's exactly how it will remain…a fantasy.' Amelia's husky Southern drawl held a note of distain for her fellow players but she was nothing but friendly as she left her bed to fling herself over Lily's bed and hugged a pillow to her chest. 'Amelia Fontaine, transferred from Salem Academy a few years ago when my parents got transferred to the Ministry over here.'

'Nice to meet you,' Hermione replied with a smile, already liking the brashness of the American witch.

'The one with her head buried in her magazine is the final corner in our dorm, Lucy Duggley. Hey, Luce! Get your head out of your Witch Weekly and come over and say hello.' Lily threw a pillow over at Lucy and the girl raised her wand to reverse its course before reluctantly setting the magazine down on her bedside cabinet.

'I was just about to find out the secrets of how to keep your wizard interested.' Lucy grumbled as she walked over to sit cross legged on the end of Lily's bed, Amelia twirled a strand of her hair around her finger and winked at her dorm mates.

'Lucy darlin'...there's only one sure fire way to keep a man interested, but I think you're far too nice a girl to want to go down that route.'

Lily and Hermione snorted at Amelia's not so subtle reference to providing sexual favours while Lucy and Tilly just stared blankly, not quite understanding why the other three girls were rolling around with laughter.

'Girls…I think Hermione knows a thing or two about keeping a man interested.' Lily motioned over to where Hermione was wiping her eyes with a tissue and Amelia looked a little gobsmacked. 'Get your mind out of the gutter, Fontaine.'

'Ooh!' Squealed Tilly in excitement, 'Is Hermione finally going to reveal where she purchased those gorgeous undies from? Stay right there, I'm just going to grab a quill so that I can Owl my sister later.'

'No need for that Tilly.' Lily laid a hand on Tilly's shoulder, pressing her back into the mattress. 'Something tells me our new roomie didn't buy those panties from Madame Malkins…am I right?' Lily raised her brow at Hermione who nodded as she gave her wand a little pat.

'Empty out your trunks, ladies…let me show you some real magic.' Hermione grinned over at the girls who suddenly leapt from the bed to start rummaging through their underwear. Within an hour the four poster bed was nearly buried under the piles of satin and silken lingerie as Hermione transfigured not only her fellow classmates' underwear, but their nightclothes, robes and a few blouses as well. When Lily noticed that they had not only missed breakfast but were in danger of missing the noon meal as well, she raised her hand and called a halt to the proceedings.

'Ladies, let's not make Hermione think that we only want her for her transfiguration skills shall we?' Lily hopped off the bed and scooped her newly transfigured underwear into her arms. 'I suggest we all put our stuff away and then make our way down for a spot of lunch. Afterwards we can show Hermione around the castle and point out the more interesting stuff.' There were nods all around and after a few short minutes, the girls made their way down to the Great Hall for lunch and spent the rest of the day getting to know Hermione better as they showed her everything from the Astronomy tower down to the edge of the Forbidden Forest and everywhere in between.

The next morning the girls hovered outside of the Potions classroom behind the boys as they waited for Professor Slughorn to let them inside. Lily nudged Hermione's shoulder as she caught Sirius glancing curiously at the five of them. 'Look, Sirius can't quite make up his mind over what's different about Tilly and Amelia...He's checked them out twice already and it's really beginning to bug him.' Hermione turned her head on the pretext of checking her book bag and grinned as she saw Sirius muttering something to James and how both boys swivelled around to stare at their housemates. Amelia gave Lily a sly wink and sighed heavily as she stroked her hand slowly down the side of her school robes, flattening the material against her chest for an instant where it was apparent that she was wearing one of Hermione's newly transfigured 'balconette' style brassiere's. Peter nearly swallowed his tongue when Sirius tugged on his sleeve to get his attention, Remus merely gave Amelia a quick glance before turning his attention back to his book.

'Ah…so sorry to have kept you waiting class…an unfortunate incident with a jar of red-tailed devil newts.' Slughorn grinned jovially as he held up a bandaged finger. 'Nothing that a few days of antidote won't cure.' The students filed in and started taking their places along the benches, Lily steering Hermione onto a stool next to her with a whispered reminder that they had promised to partner up for that class.

Severus slid onto a stool next to Lily and stifled a sigh when Lucy took the seat next to him. She glanced over at him as she pulled her textbook from her bag.

'Don't look at me like that, Snape. It's not my fault that we're the only two without a partner…grin and bear it, that's what I intend to do.' Lucy ignored Severus' mutterings and turned her attention back to the front of the class where Slughorn was standing in front of his blackboard.

'Over the next few weeks we will be working on creating a few of the more complex potions in preparation for your NEWTs at the end of the year. Oh, the wonders that we will discover together…the whisper of eternal sleep, the gentle tugging at your heartstring and finally the golden chalice of good fortune.' Slughorn droned on about what he expected from each student and Severus glanced across at where Hermione had already filled half a sheet of parchment with her loopy scrawl. He tilted his head slightly as he read that she had identified the potions that the Professor had been referring to; Draught of Living Death, Amortentia and Felix Felicis.

'Today I'd like you to turn to your text books and research what you think the three potions are; the first person that presents their parchment will be given an early release from the lesson today and receive two weeks free extra time in my personal lab to work on whatever potion takes their fancy.' Slughorn paused as he noticed a slender young witch approaching his desk. 'Ah, having a little trouble are we Miss…?'

'Granger, sir. Hermione Granger.'

'Ah yes, Madam Pomfrey's niece, lovely to meet you my dear.' Slughorn smiled warmly at Hermione, having been filled in on her sudden arrival by the Headmaster the previous afternoon. 'How may I help you?'

'Oh, I don't need any help sir.' Hermione smiled as she slid a piece of parchment across the desk. 'I've completed the assignment.'

'Already? Let me just take a quick look then.' Slughorn raised his bushy eyebrows over the rim of his spectacles and hummed under his breath. 'Remarkable my dear, you've not only named the potions but given an explanation and antidote for each. Well done indeed, fifty house points for Gryffindor and I look forward to seeing you on Wednesday.'

'Thank you, sir.' Hermione refused to feel guilty for having already known the answers to the assignment, and hurried back to the bench; stuffing her text book back into her bag and whispering a quick explanation to Lily. 'I've got a few things to look up in the library and I want to try and speak with the Headmaster; I'll see you at lunch.' Lily nodded in agreement, not feeling slighted in the least that Hermione had completed the assignment before anyone else.

'As you can see, Miss Granger has correctly identified the three potions and as such has been rewarded as promised.' Slughorn waved his wand and a pink slip of parchment appeared in Hermione's hand. 'A hallway pass to explain your absence, my dear; enjoy the rest of your morning.' Slughorn turned to the rest of the class. 'As class has only been in session for a few minutes, I will give the rest of you another opportunity to redeem yourself; the next person to correctly identify all three potions will also be permitted to leave class early – they will not however, receive the extra potions time.'

Twenty five heads bent over their parchments, and after a few minutes Slughorn looked up to see his favourite Slytherin approaching the bench. 'Ah, Mr Snape…glad to see you haven't lost your touch.' Slughorn accepted the parchment and glanced over the three potions listed. 'Correct in all cases; although I would have liked to have seen a little more explanation for each. Still, a promise is a promise.' Slughorn waved another slip of pink parchment across the desk and Severus accepted it with a nod, whirling around to make his way back to collect his books. 'You might want to have a word with Miss Granger and see whether she would be willing to share her knowledge with you; I see a bright future ahead of that young witch…quite remarkable indeed.' Slughorn smiled at Severus' quick glance at Lily and then a longer glance at the empty doorway. 'Try the library, Mr Snape.'

As Severus made his way out of the potions room and into the dungeon corridors he could hear the rustle of heavy textbooks as Slughorn bade the students to turn to page one hundred.

'The Draught of Living death…one sip and it's off to a peaceful eternal sleep…'


	7. A word with Dumbledore

As soon as Hermione left the potions classroom she made her way towards the Headmaster's tower located along the Gargoyle Corridor. She stepped onto the first step of the spiral staircase and grinned to herself as it slowly started moving upwards; Hermione had made the trip up to the third floor on many an occasion and so the slow revolutions didn't bother her in the slightest. Upon reaching the top of the staircase, she paused in front of the large stone gargoyle guarding the entrance to the office and cleared her throat slightly.

'Hermione Granger to see the Headmaster, please.' She asked politely and there was a brief pause before the Gargoyle silently slid to one side allowing her to pass. 'Thank you.' Hermione nodded briefly as she stepped over the threshold to enter the large circular room. She took a moment to glance around her, thinking that it hadn't actually changed very much in twenty years. There were still various silver instruments whirring around on a small table near the fireplace and the familiar portraits of the former Headmasters of Hogwarts decorated the walls. The Headmaster's desk was a huge claw footed oak table spread with various parchments and quills and the man himself was sitting with his hands folded on the blotter, waiting with a patient smile on his face as Hermione made her inspection. She flushed a little as Dumbledore rose up from his desk and waved his hand over to where two comfortable chairs sat near a cheerful fire.

'Tea, Miss Granger?'

'Please.' Hermione accepted the dainty porcelain cup that Dumbledore transfigured in mid-air and she sank down into one of the chairs to sip at the fragrant brew.

'I am a little curious as to why you are up here sharing a pot of tea with me instead of attending your potions class but I'm sure you have a perfectly valid reason.' Dumbledore looked over the top of his gilt edged half-moon glasses, but Hermione could see his eyes were twinkling merrily behind the lenses.

'Professor Slughorn let me out early for correctly identifying a few of the potions we will be working on this term.' Hermione replied serenely and Dumbledore nodded, before narrowing his eyes a little and leaning forward in his chair.

'Just as I thought…but there's something else isn't there?'

Hermione smiled a little at the way the Headmaster was able to pick up random thoughts despite not being skilled in Occlumency. 'He has also rewarded me with some private laboratory time, which is what brings me to your office this morning.'

'You want to create a potion that will counter the Crutiatus curse.' Dumbledore guessed and Hermione smiled a little, before shaking her head.

'Although that would be very nice, Headmaster; that's not what I had in mind. During my time in the Order, I assisted our Potions Master with a few of our more frequently used potions. I'd like to try and recreate one of those but I've run into a slight snag.' Hermione set her cup back into its saucer and waved away the offer of a refill.

'What appears to be the problem, Miss Granger?' Dumbledore refilled his tea cup and continued sipping as he waited for the young witch to respond.

'The potion that I'd like to recreate is still in the process of being formulated in this time and won't become readily available for another five to six years. I can brew it myself from memory but some of the ingredients are a little…'

'Yes?' Dumbledore raised his brow as Hermione paused.

'Some of the ingredients do not form part of the school's supply and I would need to collect the others fresh on the day of brewing; dried variations just won't work and can be a little volatile in their reaction.'

'Perhaps if you told me a little more about the Potion itself?' Dumbledore suggested as he calmly continued sipping on his tea.

'The Potion was created by someone called Damocles, it's strictly administered by the Ministry and they have a tracking charm placed on the active ingredients; there's a whole chapter in the third year text book even though we aren't permitted to brew it for ourselves at school.'

'So you have brewed it outside of the school grounds?' Dumbledore surmised and again Hermione nodded.

'Myself and the current Potion Master of Hogwarts make all of the potions required for the Order – this one is especially required for one of our more senior members.'

'Let's look at this from another angle…you say that you've brewed the potion yourself?'

'I have, sir. The first few times under the supervision of my Potions Master and the rest unaided. The main ingredient is Aconite and if brewed incorrectly can be potentially lethal.' Hermione set down her tea cup and laced her fingers together in her lap. 'It's an unusual potion as it has a distinct smoky haze when it's finished brewing and must be consumed daily in order for it to work correctly.'

'Hmm…very unusual indeed, most are single use.' Dumbledore sat back in his armchair and looked directly over at Hermione. 'Aconite…or as it is more commonly referred to – Wolfsbane. You are of course, referring to your fellow Gryffindor Mr Lupin, are you not?'

'I am Headmaster.' Hermione said gravely, 'Remus wasn't given the potion until the Order reunited in the nineties…that's nearly twenty years of needless suffering. After just one cycle of being on the potion, Remus was able to transform into an ordinary wolf; no horrific memories or pain during the transformation, he just curled up on a rug and slept peacefully.' Dumbledore's eyes were shining with emotion at the thought of the young werewolf suffering needlessly all those years; he nodded and rose up from the chair, walking over to his desk and scribbling a few lines on a piece of parchment before handing it over to his new student.

'Take this, Miss Granger; it states that you have been given full access to the restricted section of the library and will be permitted to remain there after curfew until I state otherwise. Rather than rushing into Horace's lab and brewing straight away, I suggest you take a few days to re-familiarise yourself with some of the more Ancient techniques of brewing; you may pick up one or two things that you may find useful.' Dumbledore watched Hermione place the parchment carefully in her school bag and called out just as she was about to leave his office. 'Oh, and Miss Granger?'

'Yes sir?' Hermione glanced over her shoulder and saw Dumbledore's face crease into his familiar smile.

'Welcome to Hogwarts, I think you are going to fit in rather nicely.'

'Thank you, sir…It's good to be back.' Hermione smiled in return and then left the Headmaster thoughtfully glancing up at the portraits hung behind his desk.

'Well Phineas?' Dumbledore addressed the dark haired wizard pacing within the frame of his portrait and the former Slytherin Headmaster answered with a scowl.

'I think the girl knows what she's talking about, Albus. I've heard mumblings from my other portraits that speak of dark times ahead…that was until Walburga stuffed me in the attic so that I couldn't report back to you.'

'Head to the Ministry, Phineas and let the others know that it's time.' Dumbledore heard the shocked gasps from the other Headmasters and then there was a scurrying as each one left their frames to speak with their other portraits hanging in various offices and private homes around the country. It was time for the Order of the Phoenix to rise.

Hermione practically skipped her way up to Madam Pince's desk in Hogwarts library, and the older witch's expression was pinched as she read the Headmaster's brief missive. 'Hand me your wand.' She demanded, holding out her hand. 'Come along, do you want access to that section or not?' Hermione passed her wand over to the bossy librarian, who passed her own wand over Hermione's as she muttered a brief incantation. There was a slight shimmering effect and then Madam Pince handed back the wand with a reluctant expression. 'There, the wards have been lifted on your wand and you now have access to every part of the library; the doors will open whatever the time, you simply have to press your wand against the lock.' Hermione accepted the wand back and slipped it into the pocket of her robe and prepared to leave. She was surprised when Madam Pince came around the side of her desk and placed a hand gently on her forearm.

'Miss Granger, please be careful…there are things in this library that even the lightest of creatures will have trouble accepting. Don't linger too long in the section, take regular breaks and do not try to remove anything from the library itself. I will set you up a small table in the far corner for you to work where you won't be disturbed.' The librarian pulled her hand away and looked embarrassed at showing so much emotion. Hermione reached over to touch her hand lightly, giving her a smile of gratitude and Madam Pince nodded slightly in return before turning around to admonish a group of seventh years that were huddled around a table at the front of the room.

'Out! I've told you boys repeatedly that I will not have you coming in here directly after Quidditch practise! Your fingers and clothing reek of grass and the oils you've applied to your brooms. GET OUT!' Madam Pince aimed her wand at the students and then flicked her wand at the large doors to the library that were now fully open. The boys found themselves jerked out of the library by an unseen force and then the doors slammed shut behind them. Madam Pince patted her wand gently and then quietly began running a soft cloth over the surface of the book the boys had been dirtying earlier. Hermione watched for a few seconds before making her way down to the back of the library and the restricted section.

When Severus eventually entered the library he found Hermione muttering to herself as her quill scratched over parchment as she flicked through several open books scattered across the table. Severus slid onto an empty chair and tilted his head slightly to glance over what had the witch so engrossed. Hermione gave a slight huff of irritation and slammed the book shut on his wandering fingers.

'What do you want, Severus?' Hermione laid her quill to one side and looked the Slytherin directly in the eye. 'I don't have time for idle chatter as I have a lot of research to get through.'

'I was intrigued on how you were able to answer Slughorn's little quiz so quickly. Potions is a particular favourite of mine, but even I had difficulty identifying them so fast.' Severus flicked his dark hair impatiently out of his eyes and drummed his fingertips impatiently against the wooden surface of the table. 'You had them listed almost as soon as he had finished speaking, complete with antidote.'

'How on earth did you know that? Unless…' Hermione narrowed her eyes at Severus, who gave an unapologetic shrug.

'I copied your answers of course, without the waffle about the anti-dote.'

'How perfectly Slytherin of you.' Hermione muttered in response, but felt a little ripple of satisfaction that her former potions master hadn't always held all of the answers. Severus shrugged his shoulders and shifted a little closer to the books.

'That's what the sorting hat settled on anyway.' Severus replied distractedly, his attention caught on a particularly interesting passage in one of the text books. 'Hmm…very interesting, do you have a spare piece of parchment?' His fingers inched over to Hermione's notes and she slid them out of reach, before fetching a spare roll from the canvas bag at her feet. As soon as the parchment was in front of him, Severus started scratching notes with Hermione glancing over his shoulder and giving a slight sniff of dismissal. He paused mid scratch and raised his eyebrow. 'You disagree with Gunhilda of Gorsemoor, Miss Granger?' For a moment it was as if she were being addressed by her Professor and Hermione shook her head briefly to clear it.

'Not entirely, Severus…but that part's not true about only using one type of stirring tool.' Hermione tapped her finger at the portion of text that Severus had copied out to his parchment. 'Glass rods have no impurities and so are best when concocting healing potions, but they are no use at all for the more corrosive formulas. A good potioneer should have an assortment of stirring rods and different cauldrons to cover every eventuality.'

'Hmm…' Severus re-read his notes and after a moment's reflection scratched them through, laying his quill aside and lacing his fingers together as he raised his dark eyes to meet Hermione's. 'I want you to be my lab partner this term; you lend me a hand in the classroom and I'll help you with whatever you are researching.'

'What if you don't agree with what I am attempting?' Hermione leant back in her chair and tapped her fingers thoughtfully against her chin. Severus unconsciously echoed her pose and nudged a few of the open text books closer to her side of the table.

'I don't have to agree with what you are attempting, it's your research. I just think that we will work well together, we both seem to have a flair for the class and I'd like to see where it could take us.' Hermione thought about his offer for a moment and then nodded slowly, holding up a hand before Severus could start to speak.

'You must promise not to breath a word of this to anyone…your word as a wizard, Severus. This potion has the potential to change so many lives and placed in the wrong hands could be lethal.' Hermione's voice grew hushed and Severus could see her glancing over her shoulder as she spoke, as if she were afraid of being overheard.

'You have my word, Hermione.' Severus held out his wand and Hermione shook her head.

'No need for a wizard's oath, Severus. Your promise is enough to satisfy me.' Severus nodded, and slipped his wand back into the concealed pocket of his sleeve, he felt strangely humbled at hearing Hermione's acceptance of his promise.

'I have Transfiguration, Charms and Apparition tomorrow morning, with a free period after lunch. Would you care to meet me in the spare potions classroom around two o'clock?' Hermione looked over the small table to see the brief hint of a smile flicker across Severus' face, followed by a frown.

'I can't make it at two, I've got Herbology after lunch.'

'So let's make it three then.' Hermione suggested and Severus nodded in agreement, helping her stack the textbooks in a neat pile in readiness for re-shelving. 'Good, that'll give me time for a little light reading before we meet.'

'Have you decided on whether you would be willing to work as my lab partner this term?' Severus placed his hand on top of the stack of books, preventing Hermione from lifting them into her arms. He kept his head bent low, his dark hair shielding his face from revealing his anxious expression. Hermione gave a soft chuckle and nudged Severus's shoulder playfully.

'I asked you to meet me in the potions room, didn't I?' Hermione replied, and swiftly whisked the text books back to their proper shelves, leaving a slightly baffled Severus shaking his head at her retreating figure as he wondered how on earth he had let himself get tangled up with another Gryffindor female.


	8. Destination, Determination, Deliberation

**AN: I know that Wikia and HBP states that Apparition classes take place after Christmas but I've taken the liberty of moving the date to after Easter to suit my timeline. Hermione's adjusted date of birth is now 19****th**** September 1959 making her one of the oldest in the year, followed closely by Sirius and then Severus.**

It was a fairly small group of students that gathered in the middle of the Quidditch pitch around half past twelve the next afternoon. The notice posted in all of the common rooms stated that only those that were of age were eligible to be offered a place on the intensive course, which meant that Peter along with most of the other Gryffindors would have to wait until their seventh year to participate. There hadn't been a large take up amongst the Slytherins that year, so Severus had elected to take his class with the Gryffindors rather than the pious looking Ravenclaws or simpering Hufflepuffs.

'Good afternoon students, my name is Gideon Prewett and I'll be your instructor for the next six weeks.' The Ministry appointed instructor pulled out a piece of parchment from within his robes and grinned at the group, the sunlight glinting off his strawberry blond hair. 'Now as I call your name, I'd like you to step up and place your wand against the parchment…This will enable me to catch anyone out that is trying to sneak themselves into class that isn't of age.' There were a few chuckles from the back of the group as one of the younger Gryffindors edged themselves away from the crowd and slinked back to the dormitory. 'Never fails, that one.' Gideon chuckled as he glanced around the smiling group. 'There isn't an age charm on the parchment, it just registers you on the Ministry database as part of this year's group.' Hermione laughed along with the rest of her housemates as she realised who the instructor reminded her of – it wasn't just the red hair or the familiar shade of blue eyes, although they were definite Weasley-esque traits; it was the mischievous twinkle that told her that the Weasley twins had obviously inherited their sense of fun from their mother's side of the family.

'Rightho…Hermione Granger.' Gideon called out the first name from the scroll and Hermione stepped forward to lightly touch the parchment with her wand. The paper lit up with a faint green glow and Gideon looked slightly puzzled for a moment before his brow smoothed out and he nodded to himself. 'Ah yes, the Headmaster informed me that we might have an issue with your registration…something to do with an incident with a time turner back in your third year, wasn't it?' Gideon's left eye lowered in an almost imperceptible wink and Hermione knew that Dumbledore must have filled him in on the situation, as Gideon and his brother Fabien had been part of the original Order of the Phoenix.

'Um, yes that's correct. I'll be eighteen in September but after using the time-turner for nearly a year; I'm actually nearer twenty in physicality.' Hermione lowered her voice so that only Gideon could hear and he nodded as he made a notation on the parchment.

'That's fine, I'll have your records updated accordingly.' Gideon looked at the next name and glanced around the group. 'Sirius Black.' Sirius nudged James and Remus aside to saunter up to the front, tapping his wand against the parchment, where it glowed yellow. Nodding and pointing to where Hermione was standing to one side, Gideon moved down the list calling out the rest of the names in age order; Severus, Lily, Remus and finally James. When they had all been registered, Gideon gathered them all around him and gave them a briefing.

'Okay, so you all probably know that ordinarily it is impossible to Apparate or Disapparate within Hogwarts.' Gideon glanced around and saw the students nod at his words and then he gave them a grin. 'Well, that all changes with your Apparation lessons; the Headmaster has temporarily lifted the enchantment for the purposes of your practise...only around this Quidditch pitch, I might add.' Gideon noticed the murmurs between Sirius and James and lifted his voice slightly. 'That means there'll be no sneaking off to Hogsmeade for a pint at the Broomsticks.' Sirius groaned at being caught out and James simply shrugged the gentle admonishment off, ignoring the scathing look sent his way by the rest of the group. 'Alright, now that's settled I suggest you get yourself into position so that you have at least five feet of clear space all around you…this will come in handy if anyone overshoots their mark, you don't want to find yourselves splinched with your closest neighbour.'

At this remark, Sirius shifted further away from his nearest counterpart, and Severus sent him a scowling look as he too shifted slightly further to one side. Gideon snapped his fingers for his broom, and rose himself up in the air a few feet, casting a sonorous charm to enable his voice to be heard over the whole pitch. 'In a moment you will see a wooden hoop appear on the ground in front of you, there are three important things when learning to apparate; Destination, Determination and Deliberation.' Severus glanced over to his right and saw Hermione mouthing Gideon's words under her breath as the hoops appeared at their feet. 'Step one, focus your gaze on your hoop; that will be your desired destination…no, Mr Black the idea is not to step into the hoop; kindly move back into position.' Gideon flicked his wand at Sirius' feet and Sirius let out a startled shriek as he started to hop back a few feet away from the hoop. Everyone chuckled at Sirius's grumblings and then waited patiently for Gideon to continue. 'Step two, you must focus your determination to occupy the space within your hoop, close your eyes for a second and visualise it with your whole being.' Gideon watched from above as the students obeyed his command, and he smiled to himself as he saw Hermione neatly Apparating into the wooden circle with barely a trace of displaced air. He sent a brief thought flitting into her mind.

_Nicely done, Miss Granger…but you may wish to consider adding a little dramatic flair to your Apparition…I thought the idea was to hide your advanced skills from your classmates until the Headmaster deems them ready to know?_

Hermione opened her eyes and gave Gideon a brief nod of acknowledgment before Disapparating back to her starting point just as silently. When everyone else opened their eyes, she was waiting quietly along with the others for their next instructions.

'Step three…when I give the order, I want you to turn on the spot; send yourself into nothingness and focus on your hoop with all your deliberation. You may hear a loud noise as you Apparate but that is perfectly normal and will ease with practise. Ready, one…two…NOW!' Gideon gave the command and watched from above as his students made their first attempt. Remus managed to move a short distance, but not without making a sound rather like a loud thunderclap that startled James into tumbling off his feet without moving an inch. Lily and Severus did a little better, both Apparating halfway between their starting point and wooden hoop with a loud crack of displaced air. Sirius got a little closer to his hoop but let out a muffled groan as he landed face first with a mouthful of grass for his troubles. Only Hermione was able to make it cleanly into her hoop, and mindful of Gideon's comments she allowed a little rumble to accompany her movements.

'Well done, that's not too bad for your first attempt. Ten points to Miss Granger for an almost faultless performance.' Gideon winked slyly at Hermione as she brushed off her robes and made her way back to the starting position, the eyes of her fellow students watching her every move. 'Let's try that again, shall we? Remember, Destination, Determination and then Deliberation….Again!'

This time, Severus and the others watched Hermione closely as she Apparated across to her hoop, noting the graceful way she moved and Severus also paid particular attention to the subtle flick of her wand just before she turned. Closing his eyes in concentration, Severus focused on the wooden ring in front of him and then opened them again, flicking his wand slightly to mimic Hermione's graceful movement as he turned on the spot.

'Oi! Watch where you're heading, Snivellus!' James yelled out crossly as Severus Apparated within a few inches of his own hoop. 'You could've splinched me clean in half!'

'I doubt that very much, Potter…you'd have to be Apparating for that to happen.' Severus sneered at his classmate who had yet to manage even a few feet of distance.

'If you hadn't have distracted me by falling into my hoop I might've had a decent chance!' James retorted angrily, and Gideon flew over to separate the bristling pair before things turned ugly.

'That's better than last time, Mr Snape but you need to be more focused on your destination otherwise you could overshoot your target by miles. Go again, and this time try to concentrate on your own hoop rather than admiring Miss Granger's form.' Gideon added the last part in a lower tone, meant only for Severus's ears alone and saw the younger man's shoulders stiffen slightly at the lightly chiding remark. 'You have the instincts for Apparition, you just need to focus a little more. Go back to your starting point and give it another go.'

Severus nodded silently and stalked away across the pitch to where he started from. He gathered his thoughts around him and shut out all of the distractions around him, concentrating all of his energy on reaching his hoop; there was a loud crack and then the sound of clapping from above.

'Well done indeed!' Gideon called down from his broom, and Severus glanced around to see that he had managed to successfully Apparate into his hoop without losing any extremities in the process. He let a satisfied smile flit across his face and glanced across to see Hermione smiling encouragingly back at him. 'The two of you can take a breather while I give your classmates a little additional advice.' Gideon flew across to where the others were struggling, leaving Severus and Hermione to enjoy the warm Spring afternoon as they sat watching the others practise.

'How did you learn so quickly?' Severus asked Hermione quietly and she glanced over to check the others were out of earshot.

'It's not my first time Apparating, it's a long story and the Headmaster told me not to tell anyone.'

'I won't say anything.' Severus promised, knowing that the Ministry frowned heavily on anyone performing Apparition skills unlicensed. 'Tell me something though, what was with the little wand wave thing? I tried it and nearly ended up splinched with Potter.'

'A little glamour for effect…' Hermione whispered back softly, 'Let's just say I was forced into developing my skills earlier than expected and it shows a little too much.' After spending so much time on the hunt for Horcruxes in her past, Hermione had learnt early on how to Apparate almost soundlessly and it was now as easy as breathing to her. 'I don't really have to even turn now, that's just how the Ministry likes people to learn.'

'So it is possible to Apparate without all of the hoopla then? You can do it soundlessly and without all the whirling around?' Severus liked the idea of Apparition but definitely wasn't a fan of the flare for dramatics that accompanied it.

'Yeah, it takes a bit of practise...but when you need to disappear quickly it soon becomes second nature.' Hermione rose to her feet when she heard a cry of pain coming from the pitch and hurried over to see Sirius writhing in agony as he clutched his arm to his side.

'Hold on, Mr Black.' Gideon called out as he flew directly to the young man's side; there was a puff of smoke accompanied by a loud bang and when the smoke cleared, Sirius was running his hand along his side where before there had been a long gash. 'Splinching, or the separation of body parts.' Gideon explained as he waved his wand above Sirius's body to check everything was in working order. He nodded in satisfaction before continuing; 'This occurs when the mind is insufficiently **determined**. You must concentrate continually upon your **destination**, and move, without haste, but with **deliberation**. Miss Granger, if you kindly demonstrate for Mr Black?'

'Certainly, sir.' Hermione gracefully stepped up to Sirius's side and gently touched his arm. In a flash she had moved them both to the centre of his hoop, steadying him with both hands as he wobbled on his feet.

'Bloody hell, woman! Give us a bit of warning next time, will you?' Sirius's face was pale and tiny beads of sweat appeared on his brow as he raised a slightly shaky hand to push his hair out of his eyes. He glanced down at the ground and noted the wooden ring at their feet. 'What happened to the whirling around and thunderclap?' Hermione merely winked at her fellow Gryffindor and sauntered out of the circle to rejoin the rest of the group, leaving Sirius to follow along behind her.

'What did it feel like, Sirius?' Remus asked as his friend slumped to the grass at his feet and Sirius just made a gagging noise at the back of his throat.

'Miss Granger has just achieved what we refer to as a 'Side-Along Apparition'. The sensation is rather like being pulled through a tight tube. Mr Black, perhaps you would care to share your feelings with the rest of the class.'

'Like you're being strangled by a bloody boa constrictor and then stretched lengthwise like a piece of elastic…not very pleasant when the elastic pings you back.' Sirius opened a bleary eye and glared at Gideon. 'If that's what normal Apparition feels like then I want my money back, think I'll stick to my broomstick if it's all the same to you.'

'Mr Snape?' Gideon raised his eyebrow at Severus who ran his finger across his narrow jaw and tilted his head to one side as he tried to collect his thoughts.

'It's like stepping off a precipice for a split second and then being jerked back onto solid ground. I honestly wasn't aware that I had been successful until I looked down and saw the hoop.'

'Exactly right.' Gideon confirmed with a nod and a smile. He glanced over at the clocktower in the distance and with a flick of his wrist, the hoops had vanished. 'Same time, on Friday. If the weather plays up we'll be in the Great Hall. Remember, you won't be able to practise once the enchantment's back in place so just concentrate on focusing your mind.' Gideon hopped back on his broom and with a cheerful wave, flew out of sight. The small group gathered up their discarded robes and jumpers and started walking slowly back up to the castle; Severus walking in between Lily and Hermione as the three of them conversed quietly about their potions classes. The sound of someone clearing their throat distracted them from their chat.

'Um…me and the lads were just wondering whether the two of you could spare an hour or so after charms on Thursday to help us out with focus.' Remus jerked his thumb over his shoulder where Sirius and James were looking on with eager expressions. 'They admit that they've been complete prats in the past…as have I, but we could really use your help.'

'Hmm…the great James Potter admitting he's wrong,' Lily grinned wickedly at Hermione and winked over at Severus. 'That ought to be good for a little emotional blackmail, don't you think Sev?'

'Indeed.' Severus drawled out slowly, and a little shiver went down Hermione's spine as the sound reminded her of the countless hours of being lectured in that slow melodious voice. 'Hermione?'

'Hmm?' Hermione blinked out of her daydream and glanced over at the hopeful expression on the face of the four Gryffindors, counting Lily who was also hoping for a little extra tuition. 'Oh, yeah…not a problem. How about the room of requirement about three o'clock?' At the blank expression on their faces, Hermione wracked her brain for what else the room had been called in the past. 'Err…the come and go room? It's on the seventh floor on the left corridor...? No?' Hermione glanced around at the puzzled looks and chuckled a little. 'Never mind, just meet me up there around three on Thursday afternoon.'

'I'll bring the refreshments then.' Sirius announced with a grin, he pushed past Remus to plant a wet kiss on Hermione's cheek. 'It's a date, love.'

'It is not a date!' Hermione replied crossly and Sirius just grinned in response, winking at her as he walked backwards to the castle.

'Play your cards right, and it soon might be.'

'He doesn't mean anything by it, Hermione.' Remus apologised with a sheepish expression, 'He's always been a bit of an extrovert and a natural flirt.'

'Don't worry about it Remus…I've come across his sort before.' Hermione smiled softly at Remus as he walked after his friend, James jogging lightly after him to catch up. Hermione continued to smile as she thought about how often Sirius had charmed his way into getting out of doing the dishes or preparing a meal when the Order had stayed at Grimmauld Place. He had to simply smile or wink at either Molly or Ginny and they had fallen over themselves to help him out…it seemed that the man had learnt his skills at an early age.

'Earth to Hermione…' Lily waved her hand in front of Hermione's face and she snapped back to attention. 'That's better, I thought you were lost in a lust filled fog for a second.'

'Lust? What for Sirius?' Hermione chuckled and shook her head wryly. 'Not my type at all, Lily. Far too charming for my tastes.'

'Ah, perhaps it is young Mr Lupin that has caught your gaze then?' Severus drawled slowly, his eyes following the trio back into the castle. 'He's the bashful type, I'm afraid…I've yet to see him offer to escort any witch into Hogsmeade.'

'Remus? He's lovely but a little too melancholic for my taste.' Hermione sighed wistfully at the thought of furthering her friendship with the lonely werewolf; but knew that his heart would be captured by the colourful Tonks in years to come. 'I'm content just to keep company with my books, I have no intention of setting my cap at any wizard for a few years yet.'

'Mmm…you say that now, but you can be sure that Sirius is bound to try and change your mind.' Lily smirked at the look on Hermione's face, and even Severus had to fight the grin from spreading across his face at Hermione's disgruntled expression.

'Come on, let's head into luncheon before Sirius decides to clear the tables of food completely.' Severus offered his arm gallantly to each lady, and they gave him a little curtsey as they accepted his offer and the three of them headed into the Great Hall; before Severus left them with a slight bow to head off to the Slytherin table.


	9. The Potion Project Revealed

Just after lunch had finished, Hermione managed to catch Professor Slughorn just as he was about to take a quick nap in his office before his third year lesson.

'Professor, I was wondering whether I could just nip into your store room and retrieve a few ingredients for my research study.' Hermione enquired politely and the jovial professor's head bobbed in agreement as they reached his private store room.

'Of course, of course.' Slughorn waved his hand around the disorganised space and Hermione almost groaned at the sight of the jumbled phials and assortment of mislabelled jars. 'You're welcome to anything that you can lay your hands on, Miss Granger. It's a little jumbled as it's so near to the end of the school year.'

'Perhaps I could help you reorganise your stores during the summer holidays?' Hermione offered with a winsome smile, hoping that she could resurrect Snape's ruthlessly organised system from out of the chaos that was Slughorn's stores. 'As you may know, I'll be staying at Hogwarts during the holidays with my Aunt Poppy…I'd love to help out replenishing some of the infirmary's potions and I'm a whiz at organising.'

'Well, that's very kind of you my dear.' Slughorn's eyes lit up at the thought of the young witch freeing up some of his time by preparing the basic healing potions and balms. 'Perhaps you'd like to help me out a few hours a week before the holidays? For a little extra credit and a perhaps a few points for your house too?'

'I'd be honoured, sir. Let's see…I have free periods on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons; I'm tied up this afternoon and tomorrow, but I could give you a hand on Friday and perhaps a few hours on Sunday afternoon?' Hermione glanced over at the professor and could see the gleam in his eye as he was already thinking of the comfortable armchair in his office and the naps that he could take in it.

'That would be most agreeable, perhaps if you would consult with your Aunt and obtain a list of which potions she requires on a weekly basis? I'll be here to advise you on anything you are not sure of.' Slughorn started edging out of the store room as Hermione started reeling off the names of the potions that she was already familiar with, and he continued nodding as he closed the door of his office behind him, and settled down in his armchair with a muggle detective story that he had been itching to get started on.

Hermione rolled up her sleeves and transfigured her school robes into an apron as she started inspecting the shelves for the ingredients that she had memorised for the Wolfsbane potion.

'Even a man who is pure of heart and says his prayers at night,

May become a wolf when the wolfsbane blooms…'

'And the Autumn moon is bright…' The soft masculine tone coming from the doorway had Hermione whirling around, pressing a hand against her chest to still her suddenly rapid heartbeat.

'Merlin Remus! You nearly gave me a heart attack!' Hermione scolded lightly, and then walked over with a lighter expression as she drew her friend into the store room and pulled the door ajar behind him.

'I guess my secret's out then if you're quoting werewolf poems now.' Remus muttered morosely as he slumped down onto a sack of feathers in the corner of the tiny room.

'I knew about you long before I came to Hogwarts.' Hermione replied quietly, meaning of course when she came to Hogwarts in his time frame. 'I've heard about a potion that can help ease the symptoms.' Hermione glanced over to see the look of amazement creep over his dejected features and placed a hand tenderly on his arm. 'It's not a complete cure, Remus but it's a start.'

'What does it do?' He asked quietly, absorbing the feel of Hermione's hand on his arm; the first gentle touch that hadn't come from a Medi-witch since he had started at Hogwarts.

'It dulls the pain of the transformation and helps keep your mind human…You'll still change during a full moon, but it's a more gentle change; leaving you as a sleepy wolf rather than your usual self.' Hermione didn't want to raise his hopes too high only to leave him shattered if she couldn't pull it off. 'I've assisted in the brewing process a few times, but never made it on my own; Dumbledore's agreed to let me try but…'

'I'd need to be your lab rat.' Remus said softly, glancing up at the way Hermione was chewing nervously on her bottom lip. 'Hey, stop that…you'll make it bleed.' He gently tapped her lip with his finger and Hermione smiled faintly, thinking about all of the other times adult Remus had chided her for doing exactly the same thing. 'How confident are you that you can make this potion work?'

'Well…' Hermione glanced around the store room with a barely suppressed shudder and Remus grinned faintly at her disgusted expression. 'I'd need to have a bit of a clear out in here first and check whether any of these ingredients are still potent enough; there's a couple of things that the Headmaster agreed that I could order from Diagon Alley and put against the school account…and then there's the Wolfsbane itself.'

'Wolfsbane? I thought that was just a myth?' Remus sat up straighter and began to pay more attention to Hermione's ramblings.

'No, it's a real plant alright…It's more commonly referred to as…'

'Aconite or Monkshood.' Severus drawled out from where he leant against the doorframe. 'When you didn't appear for our appointment, Slughorn said that I might find you in here. I wasn't aware that Lupin was invited to join our private potion session.'

'I just popped in to thank Hermione for agreeing to give us a few pointers in Apparition.' Remus started to rise up from his seat on the sack of feathers, when Hermione pushed him back down gesturing for Severus to come further into the store room.

'Don't go, Remus. This whole session affects you, so you should stay.'

'Bloody hell…don't tell me this all has something to do with Fangboy?' Severus slid down the closed door until he was sitting on the stone floor, looking completely miserable at the thought of working closely with the young werewolf.

'Shut it, Snivellus!' Remus growled, his eyes flashing amber briefly before he managed to control his feelings. Hermione laid a hand on his arm in comfort and glared over at Severus.

'I warned you that you may not like the project, but you insisted that you didn't care…You don't have to stay around, you know where the door is.'

'Yeah, don't let it hit your arse on the way out.' Remus jerked his head over at the closed door and Severus bit back a curse as he closed his eyes in order to gain control of his temper, when he opened them again, Hermione could see that his face was completely devoid of any previous anger leaving only the willingness to learn behind.

'That's better.' She nodded at the pair of them and rose up to her feet. 'Now, what do you remember about Aconite from your previous potions classes?' Hermione glanced over at Remus who frowned and shook his head.

'Not a thing, I don't remember it ever being mentioned. What about you, Severus?' Remus looked over at where the Slytherin was still sitting against the door, only he now had a scowl on his face as he took sight of the disarray of the store room.

'Aconite or Monkshood is a small blue flower that thrives in the harshest of conditions. It is potentially lethal if not handled correctly and if I remember my myth and legends, should be harvested at night as that is when it is at full potency.' Severus rose up to a standing position and patted his school robes down to rid himself of the dust that had accumulated around his hem, and gave a mutter of disgust as the dirt stubbornly clung to the fabric.

'Honestly, and you call yourself a wizard?' Hermione chuckled at the sneer on Severus' lips and flicked her wand over his robes until they were pristine once more.

'Thank you, had the store room been kept properly cleansed we wouldn't be in need of a scourgify charm.' Severus flicked a lean finger against one of the dusty jars and noted that it should have contained fresh Armadillo bile.

'Urgh…if Slughorn calls that fresh then I'd hate to see what he considers preserved.' Remus glanced over at what held Severus's interest and gave a shudder. 'I think I'll leave the two of you to it, let me know when you need me for testing.'

'It won't be for at least another couple of transformations yet, Remus.' Hermione said with an apologetic shrug. 'I've got to track down the rest of the ingredients first and then brew the potion, once it's ready you need to drink a goblet full every day for the week preceding the full moon.'

'No rush, Hermione. I've made it nearly twelve years without a potion, another couple of months in the shack won't hurt me. Let me know when you need to harvest the Aconite…I'll not let you go out alone after dark.' Remus hesitated at the doorway and then turned back to face the witch and Severus. 'Even if it doesn't work, I just want to thank you for trying.'

'It will work, Remus.' Hermione promised and Remus nodded silently as he slipped away, leaving the two potioneers gazing forlornly at the mess and complete disorganisation of the stores. Severus let out a heavy sigh as he flicked his wand over his robes, transforming them into a heavy apron that matched Hermione's and rolled up his sleeves.

'Right, let's clear out some of this mess so that we can see what we've got left to work with.' He stated firmly as another flick of his wand conjured up a large cardboard box at their feet. 'Anything that looks too dried up or doesn't have a label on goes in here. The apothecary in Hogsmeade will take back any phials and jars for a proper cleaning…Circe only knows how long some of this stuff has been petrifying on the shelves.' Hermione nodded in agreement and they started clearing off the shelves, working in tandem as they tried to make sense of Slughorn's system – or complete lack of.


End file.
